AS Tallink Grupp and Meyer Turku Oy inked a Letter of Intent for the construction of an environmentally friendly car-passenger ferry.
The ship will cost around 230 million euros and will be built at Turku shipyard, with expected delivery slated for the beginning of 2017.
The project will provide approximately 2000 man-years employment for the shipyard.
The new ferry will be about 212 metres in length with a gross tonnage of 49 000. The ship is intended for operation on the route between Helsinki and Tallinn and she is planned to carry 2800 passengers.
The ship uses LNG as fuel and she complies with the new and stricter emission regulations for the ECA areas including the Baltic Sea.
“A series of six ferries between years 2002-2009 has been delivered to Tallink and this ship will be the 7th newbuilding for the same shipowner. This new ferry prototype gives us an excellent opportunity to apply improved design & building methods. For all these reasons this Letter of Intent signed today is very important to Meyer Turku and to the entire Finnish shipbuilding cluster,” says Jan Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku Oy .
Over the next few months Tallink Grupp and Meyer Turku plan to work towards signing of the shipbuilding contract and financing arrangements.